CHORUS
Ah, speakest thou of wreck, of flight, of carnage that hath been?
Ah, speakest thou of wreck, of flight, of carnage that hath been?
Aeschylus
XERXES
Curse upon curse and pang on pang we know!
CHORUS
With the Ionian power
We clashed, in evil hour!
Woe falls on Persia's race, yea, woe again, again!
XERXES
Yea, smitten am I, and my host is all to ruin hurled!
CHORUS
Yea verily--in mighty wreck hath sunk the Persian world!
XERXES (_holding up a torn robe and a quiver_)
See you this tattered rag of pride?
CHORUS
I see it, welladay!
XERXES
See you this quiver?
CHORUS
Say, hath aught survived and 'scaped the fray?
XERXES
A store for darts it was, erewhile!
CHORUS
Remain but two or three!
XERXES
No aid is left!
CHORUS
Ionian folk such darts, unfearing, see!
XERXES
Right resolute they are! I saw disaster unforeseen.
CHORUS
Ah, speakest thou of wreck, of flight, of carnage that hath been?
XERXES
Yea, and my royal robe I rent, in terror at their fall!
CHORUS
Alas, alas!
XERXES
Yea, thrice alas!
CHORUS
For all have perished, all!
XERXES
Ah woe to us, ah joy to them who stood against our pride!
CHORUS
And all our strength is minished and sundered from our side!
XERXES
No escort have I!
CHORUS
Nay, thy friends are whelmed beneath the tide!
XERXES
Wail, wail the miserable doom, and to the palace hie!
CHORUS
Alas, alas, and woe again!
XERXES
Shriek, smite the breast, as I!
CHORUS
An evil gift, a sad exchange, of tears poured out in vain!
XERXES
Shrill out your simultaneous wail!
CHORUS
Alas the woe and pain!
XERXES
O, bitter is this adverse fate!
